The president of the Southern Baptist Convention today said his organization wants better relations with the black community and he is working on a statement about comments made by a top white official lambasting black men, President Obama and black leaders.

“Certainly we want good to come to this situation,” Rev. Bryant Wright told ReddingNewsReview.com. “Racial reconciliation is a huge priority for southern Baptist Christians and there will be a statement later today or in the morning,” Wright said.

Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, has refused to apologize after appearing to justify why whites fear blacks. He says that black men are “statistically more likely to do you harm than a white man.”

“Is it tragic that people react that way? Yes. Is it unfair? Yes? But it is understandable,” Land said.

Wright would not say if Land would be punished or what would be included in the statement. “It is being worked on diligently,” Wright told ReddingNewsReview.com.